In the New Orleans Saints’ Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints’ defense will be without a few key contributors. At least one of those impact players will be in the team’s second level with linebacker Kaden Elliss sidelined with a calf injury.
Without Elliss, the Saints will be leaning on second-year linebacker Danny Stutsman to step up into a larger role, one that may or may not be beside veteran linebacker Pete Werner.
Questionable with a shoulder injury, Werner could potentially be sidelined as well, further increasing the importance of Stutsman’s ability to contribute on Monday Night Football.
It’s a situation that Stutsman sees as an opportunity.
“It’s a really great opportunity ahead of myself,” Stutsman said. “The standard cannot change. No matter who’s down, who’s not playing, we have a standard and culture for our defense. It’s my duty, no matter who else is out there, to really hold that standard and it’s a commitment to what the game means in general to everybody.”
Stuntman was drafted in the fourth round, No. 112 overall, of the 2025 NFL Draft and was considered the top off-ball linebacker among his cohorts.
That investment is one that the Saints’ coaching staff sees a lot of potential in after bringing in the energetic linebacker from Oklahoma.
Head coach Kellen Moore shared high praise for Stutsman at his Friday media availability.
“Danny’s done a really good job preparing,” Moore said. “Obviously, he’s had a lot of opportunities throughout the back end of last year, early part of this year. In my mind, he could start for plenty of teams, we just happen to have two other really good ones as well.”
Moore said that the confidence in Stutsman is high. Based on his remarkable production last season, it’s easy to see why.
Last year, as a rookie, Stutsman made tackles in just over a quarter of the defensive snaps he was awarded, while clocking a missed tackle rate of just 5.4% in the meanwhile.
To start 2026, his 16.7% missed tackle rate appears high, but it is inflated by his Week 2 50% miss rate. That rating is only so high because he appeared in just two snaps that game, and had a missed tackle on one while notching a tackle on the other.
It’s perhaps more promising that Stutsman made tackles on both of his snaps than it is disruptive that he missed one.
Stutsman has been consistent in finding himself around the ball, being in position to make tackles and has added some pass rusher ability early this season. This could be a major opportunity for the second-year defender who will be asked to step up on the biggest stage yet.
